Reservoir

Check Valves and Relief Valves

The heart of a water gun is usually not the pressure chamber but the things that allow the pressure to build: the check valves. A check valve is a valve that only allows flow in one direction. Without them, a Super Soaker would not work. One is the inlet to the pump; the other, the outlet. For more into how the dual check valve system works and is used, read our article titled Separate Chamber Design.

The relief valve is a special kind of check valve. It stops water from entering the chamber is the pressure is beyond what some people call the "High Pressure Limit." It effectively acts as a governor for the gun. For more information about the relief valve, read our article on disabling it, which many times is not a very good idea.

Trigger

Pump-guided

"Floating"

The trigger is a mechanism that activates the firing of the gun. There are two major types in water guns: the pump-guided kind (the first one) and the "floating" variety (the second). Both typically need a spring to help push the trigger back into place when not held down.

Pump Tube and Rod

The pump tube (also known as the shaft) is the tube that surrounds the pump rod, the pipe that goes inside. The pump rod has seals at one end to assure that no water leaks out during pumping and to make pumping as efficient as possible.

Pressure Chamber

Firing Valve Opening Assembly

Spring and lever (CPS 2100)

"Tower" (XP 310)

Max-D mechanism

Dual arm

One of the more complicated and varied pieces of a water gun is the firng valve opening assembly. There are four major types: spring and lever, "tower," Hasbro's Max-D mechanism, and the dual arm assembly. The spring and lever kind is very common in the CPS series. The "tower" is used in many XP guns. The Max-D mechanism is used in all water guns made by Hasbro since the Max-D line; hence the name. Buzz Bee Toys introduced a simpler dual arm mechanism that breaks more easily and uses it in their guns.